COOK, Minn. – Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Department of Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman commended students from the B.O.S.S. (Bunch of Students Saving) program sponsored by the Cook Area Credit Union – soon to be North Star Credit Union – as they received recognition for winning their national first place Desjardin Youth Financial Education Award.

The B.O.S.S. students were instrumental in working with Cook Area Credit Union to start the student-run branch at North Woods School in Cook. Dayton and Rothman presented awards to the students who manage the Money Cave student-run branch at North Woods, a K-12 school in Cook, and to students who manage the Jungle Cave student-run branch at K-12 South Ridge School in Culver. The North Woods Money Cave location opened in February 2014, and the South Ridge School location just celebrated its grand opening on April 29.

“This is a tremendous program for all of you – both the schools and the credit union,” said Dayton. “Thank you for making this happen, and I hope we have many more of these student branches statewide in the future.”

The Desjardins Awards are presented nationally by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) each year and recognize the leadership of credit unions in providing financial education initiatives that raise awareness and marshal resources to improve financial literacy.

“It’s a great honor to have both Governor Dayton and Commissioner Rothman here at the school to recognize these exceptional students for their achievements,” said Crettol. “Through their work with the student branch, these students will continue to help their peers learn more about how to make wise and informed financial decisions.”

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The Minnesota Credit Union Network is the statewide trade association that works to ensure the success, growth and vitality of Minnesota credit unions. With nearly $20 billion in assets, Minnesota credit unions are local, trusted financial cooperatives that serve more than 1.6 million members at 400+ branch locations around the state. As not-for-profit institutions, credit unions give back to the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.mncun.org.